Multi-panel strip and joint



March 22, 1966 R. s. GREGOIRE 3,241,284

MULTIPANEL STRIP AND JOINT Filed May 14, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVEBIITOR. RES 7/? S. GR60//? MMJ W March 22, 1966 R. s. GREGOIRE 3,241,284

MULTI-PANEL STRIP AND JOINT Filed May 14, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2:

INVENTOR. REST/4 5. GfifGO/RE BY flan/ United States Patent 3,241,284 MULTl-PANEL STRIP AND JOINT Resta S. Gregoire, Washington, D.C., assignor to Gregoire Engineering and Development Company, Adelphi, Md., a corporation of Maryland Filed May 14, I962, Ser. No. 194,339 4 Claims. (Cl. 52-588) This invention relates to a novel housing, container and deck construction, and more particularly to the wall, partition and roof paneling thereof and method of assembly.

A principal object of this invention is to simplify and standardize panelling construction for assembly of wall and roof panels on the site, the panelling being adaptable for continuous rectangular as well as arcuate, cylindrical, and other angular constructions all the way around the housing, requiring a minimum of frame work support.

A further object is to make panelling of suitably stiff sheet material bent transversely on axial line folds to provide a parallel corrugated pattern of alternate ridges and panel recesses on one side of the wall and a substantially continuously flat surface on the other side of the wall where the recess panels are brought close together to substantially close the hollows of the ridge portions on the said one side of the wall so as to give the wall great rigidity in the direction of the ridges and recesses and limited flexibility in the direction normal thereto, sufficient clearance being provided between the adjacent recess panels to allow for expansion of the panels without buckling of the panel portions at high temperatures.

A further object is to provide interlocking edge to edge joints for strips of the above panelling between a ridge edge of one strip, comprising one or more recess panels, and an interfitting edge at the outer side of a recess panel of the other strip, comprising the same or any other number of recess panels, said joints requiring no bolts or other accessory parts or tools to assemble the strips in the construction of the wall or roof on the site by inexperienced hands, and the joints providing interlocking and sealing means without any penetration of either of the interlocking edges.

A further object is to devise a simple method of forming arched walls or roofs after assembly of the required expanse of the panelling, by arching the assembly to the desired total curvature by pulling the opposite side edges of the assembly toward each other to the desired distance to be spanned by the arch, and by providing cross braces between alternate ridge portions on the inside of the arch, if more rigidity is required in holding any definite curvature, the contacting surfaces of the joints between the adjacent n'dge portions on either side, which are connected by a cross brace, being always under compression, thus remaining tight under wind load or snow load and during temperature changes.

A further object is to construct a cylindrical wall in accordance with the above method.

A further object is to modify the form of the panelling by making one edge of the recess panels project from the flat side of the wall to overlap the edge of the adjacent recess panel, for use of the panelling to simulate lap siding for the outside of a building wall, the wall being assembled in this case in a vertical direction, the panel strips running horizontally.

A further object is to provide within the configuration of the panel, cleats for attaching an interior wall, with- "ice out adhesives or other fastening devices, preferably of insulating material, supporting said material between the ridge portions of the panel strips, and spaced from the recessed panel portions to provide uninterrupted hollow spaces lengthwise of the panel strips between adjacent ridge portions, in addition to the continuous hollow spaces formed inside each ridge portion.

A further object is to provide a joint of the above mentioned type which has the overlapping edges of the panel strips formed so as to interlock with a leverage between line contacts at the fulcrum line of each overlapping edge of the respective strips against which the overlapping lever edge of the other strip is pressed to bring the two strips into alignment after interlocking said overlapping edges, so as to provide a double line seal between said overlapping edges regardless of the direction in which the joints and the panelling are laid, which will maintain a weather tight fit in vertical, horizontal, or inclined walls at any other angle.

A further object is to provide vent spaces between the inner wall of the recess panels and the interior wall cleats to prevent accumulation of moisture and freezing of vapors on said inner wall of said panels, and to reduce the transfer of heat in summer, from said inner wall to said interior wall.

A further object is to coat the contact line surfaces on the interlocking edges of at least one of the panel strips to be joined, so as to form a good water tight joint.

Other and more specific objects will become apparent in the following detailed description of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. I is a section of a joint between two panel strips made in accordance with one form of the invention in perspective view,

FIG. II is a similar section in perspective of a modified form of joint,

FIGS. III and IV are sectional views of other modified forms of joints,

FIG. V is an enlarged detail sectional view of the joint shown in FIG. I,

FIG. VI is a perspective view of an assembly of a portion of a wall or roof panelling made of panel strips joined together and having an interior wall,

FIG. VII is an end view of a modified form of exterior wall panel assembly simulating outside lap siding, with interior wall slabs and insulation fitted therein.

The present invention includes a simple self-locking and sealing joint for use on any sheet panelling by providing complementary edge formations for the adjacent panel sheeting strips, one of the edge formations being a groove substantially triangular in section and extending back of the panel, the triangle having one side wall extending from the edge of the panel and bent or folded to an acute angle thereto, the base of the triangle extending from the outer end of said one side wall bent around a lobe outwardly of the base, which is substantially parallel to the panel, then bent around another similar lobe at the other end of the base to the outer side of the triangle which has its upper end adjacent to the edge of the panel but spaced therefrom normally the thickness of the panel sheet to permit passage of the other of the edge formations. The other of the edge formations being an extension of the other panel bent or folded at an obtuse angle thereto substantially supplementary to the above acute angle, said extension being adapted for insertion into said triangular groove and for interlocking with said triangular groove, so that when the panels are brought into alignment, a leverage pressure at two points of contact between the edge formations provides a double sealing joint between the panel strips.

The two side panels 2 and 4 shown in FIG. I have this type of joint, having edge formations comprising the substantially triangular groove 6 and extension or tongue 8 interlocked by insertion of the extension 3 through the open apex of the triangular groove and passing the reversely curved lip 10 of this extension into the lobe 12 at the base of the triangularly formed groove where it connects with the bottom of the inner side wall of the triangularly formed groove, then prying the panel 2 down into alignment with the panel 4 using the two corner edge line contacts at the opposite ends 14 and 16 of the extension as a fulcrum and end of lever arm respectively, and springing the edge formations into pressure engagement to form a double line pressure seal at these two contacts.

FIG. II is a modification having a different form of extension 18 which has a portion like extension 8 with a kink 20 at its upper end for snapping through the open apex over the top or apex end 22 of the outer side wall 24 of the triangular groove 26. The apex end 22 has its flange end curved over to provide a smooth more concentrated pressure contact line to form the sealing joint at the base end of the extension or tongue 18.

It will be noted that the leverage pressure at the upper sealing joint is downwardly against the upper end of the outer side wall of the triangular groove in either of the modifications of FIG. I and FIG. II, as it is also in the modifications shown in FIGS. III and IV. This downward pressure results from reaction of the curved lip at the lower end of the extension as it is pushed downwardly into place under the upper surface of the right hand lobe 28.

As shown in the enlarged view in FIG. V, the normal distance a, between the base and the upper surface of the ledge 32 at the upper end of the outer side wall 34 is made slightly oversize. When the extension or tongue 8 is inserted and pressed into position against the inner side 40 of the triangular groove by swinging down the panel 2, the upper parts are pulled down to the full-line position and the extension 8, which has a normal angular form as shown in dotted lines, is sprung into its full line position as shown, flush against the inner side wall of the triangular groove, and its curved lower lip is stretched and held under the upper inside surface of the lobe 28. The base 30 of the triangular groove can remain substantially parallel to the panel if desired, since the resilient deformation of the outer side portion of the triangular groove may be kept confined to the upper part of the left hand lobe 36, as shown by arrow 6.

The extension 8 is normally bent relative to the panel 2 at an angle 06 which is slightly larger than the angle between these parts when the joint is assembled, as shown in full lines in FIG. V, and the curved end or lip 38 is normally bent to an angle 5 which is slightly smaller than the corresponding angle in the assembly, so that the final directions of parts 8 and 38 will correspond to those of inner side 44 and the upper arm of the lobe 28 respectively, so that a firm double seal will result, as explained above, at 14 and 16.

FIG. III shows a modified joint with the curved end 22 of the outer side wall 24, like that shown in FIG II, and an extension 8 as in FIG. I.

FIG. IV is similar to FIGS. I and III, except that the upper end of the outer side wall 42 has a straight upper ledge.

In any of the forms shown, therefore, the panel strip and joint combination will generally comprise two or more identically formed sheet rnulti-panel strips such as 2 and 4 with complementary cooperating edge formations at opposite side edges of each strip for joining the edges of each pair of adjacent strips together in a double sealed interlocking joint, each strip having a plurality of closely spaced panels extending in a common plane and widebottomed grooves, such as 46, extending back of said panels, each groove having side walls extending back from adjacent panels and being connected by a wide bottom wall substantially parallel to the panels, the edge formation at one side edge of each panel strip being a substantially triangularly formed groove comprising inner and outer walls connected by a bottom wall and extending back of said panels from the outer edge of a panel at said side edge of the strip with the top of said inner wall connected to the outer panel edge at said side edge of the panel strip, said bottom wall of the groove forming the base of the triangle and being extended beyond the bottoms of said inner and outer walls to form lobes such as 28 and 36, with return portions of these lobes extending in spaced relation substantially parallel to the bottom wall meeting and engaging the bottoms of the inner and outer side walls respectively, which side walls coverage toward the panel to define an open apex in the plane of the panels, the terminal end of said outer wall having a ledge turned outwardly substantially in the plane of the panels, the bottom wall of the triangularly formed groove at said one side edge of the strip being in the same plane as the wide bottom walls 46 of the grooves between panels, the edge formation at the opposite side edge of each strip being an angular tongue 8 having a base end at the panel and an outer end with a reversely turned lip at said outer end, said angular tongue being seated within the triangularly formed groove of the second of two adjacent strips providing the double sealed interlocking joint with a double line resilient pressure sealing contact therewith, one of said line contacts being along the edge of said reversely turned lip resiliently pressed against the inside of one of said lobe return portions at the point of its engagement with the bottom of said inner side wall of said triangularly formed groove, the other line contact being along the outer edge of said outwardly turned ledge at the top or outer extremity of said outer side wall of said triangularly formed groove resiliently pressed against the inside of the panel with the tongue edge formation, near the base end of the tongue.

One form of multi-panel strips is shown in FIG. VI, wherein a groove configuration 6 is formed back of one edge of the panel strip in substantially triangular shape with lobes extending at each end of the base 30 as previously described, the opposite edge of the panel strip having an extension or tongue 8 for insertion into a groove 6 in the adjacent panel strip. This panel strip has two triangular ridges 46 at the back thereof, although any other number of such ridges may be formed, equally spaced between the opposite edges of the panel strip to form substantially uniform recesses 48 between said ridges and triangular edge formations 6 in a continuous pattern from panel to panel in the assembled wall.

One way of forming and supporting insulating strips 44 in the panel strip is to form cleats 50 fitting around and between the bases of the triangular configurations 6 and triangular ridges 46, partially filling the recesses 48. The strips 44 are slid into place from the ends of the panel strips before joining the panel strips. The inner wall strips 52 are attached to the insulating material 44 to provide a continuous finished interior wall when the panel strips are joined, the edges of the insulating and wall strips are slightly V-shaped as shown at to guide the interior wall of one strip flush with that of the adjacent wall strip.

The modification shown in FIG. VII has a similarly ridged and recessed panel strip as above, except that the outer faces 54 are not aligned, but simulate lap siding, the edge 56 of one face protruding over the edge 58 of the adjacent face in overlapping relation, the protruding edge of the edge face in a panel strip being joined to the inner side wall of the triangular configuration 60. The intermediate ridges 62 and the recesses 64 between the ridges 62 and triangular configurations 60 have one long side 66 and one short side 68. It will be seen that the insulating strip 70 with the cleats 72 and interior wall 74 is practically identical with the corresponding parts in FIG. VI.

The insulating strips may have a ridge extending from the middle of each cleat to the inside of the recess panel. Many other obvious modifications in the form and details of the panels and joints disclosed may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is: 1. A panel strip and joint combination comprising at least two identically formed sheet multi-panel strips having complementary cooperating edge formations at opposite side edges of each strip for joining the edges of each pair of adjacent strips together in a double sealed interlocking joint, each strip having a plurality of closely spaced panels extending in a common plane and wide-bottomed grooves formed in the strip extending back of said panels, each groove having side walls extendingback from adjacent panels and being connected by a wide bottom wall substantially parallel to said panels, the edge formation at one side edge of each panel strip being a substantially triangularly formed groove comprising inner and outer walls connected by a bottom wall and extending back of said panels from the outer edge of the panel at said side edge of the strip with the top of said inner wall connected to the outer panel edge at said side edge, said bottom wall of the groove forming the base of the triangle and being extended beyond the bottoms of said inner and outer walls to form lobes, with return portions of said lobes extending in spaced relation substantially parallel to said bottom wall meeting and engaging the bottoms of said inner and outer side walls respectively of said triangle, said side walls converging towards said panel to define an open apex in the plane of said panels, the terminal end ofsaid outer wall having a ledge turned outwardly substantially in the plane of said panels, the bottom wall of said triangularly formed groove at said one side edge of the strip being in the same plane as the said wide bottom walls of the grooves between panels, the edge formation at the other side edge of each panel strip being an angularly extending tongue having a base end at the panel and an outer end with a reversely turned lip at said outer end, said angular tongue of one of said two strips being seated within said triangularly formed groove of the second of said two strips providing said double sealed interlocking joint with a double line resilient pressure sealing contact therein,

one of said line contacts being along the edge of said reversely turned lip resiliently pressed against the inside of one of said lobe return portions at its point of engagement with the bottom of said inner side wall of said triangularly formed groove, the other line contact being along the outer edge of said outwardly turned ledge at the top of said outer side wall of said triangularly formed groove resiliently pressed against the inside of the panel with the tongue edge formation, near the base end of the tongue.

2. A panel strip and joint combination as defined in claim 1, the spacing between said closely spaced panels being suflicient to provide for thermal expansion of the panels without buckling.

3. A panel strip and joint combination as defined in claim 1,

said outwardly turned ledge being convexly curved toward said base end of the tongue to provide a more rigid pressure line contact along its tangential engagement with the inside of said panel at said base end of said tongue.

4. A panel joint as defined in claim 1, said tongue having a kink in it adjacent its base end to provide a snap-in fit as the extension is fully inserted in said triangularly formed groove through said open apex therein.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 11,294 12/1892 White 52522 370,317 9/1887 Cortright et al. 52-522 614,294 11/1898 Demore 52531 1,410,729 3/1922 Balz 52-598 1,583,969 5/1926 Greenstreet 52-531 1,676,043 7/1928 Olsson 52531 1,714,682 5/1929 Loucks 52-478 2,180,504 11/1939 Bradfield et al 52588 2,263,354 11/1941 Fould 52--578 2,612,246 9/ 1952 Whitehouse et al 52-275 2,797,448 7/ 1957 Revell et a1 52-662 3,000,093 9/ 1961 Wredenfors. 3,149,436 9/1964 Varlonga 52-206 FRANK L. ABBOTT, Primary Examiner.

JACOB L. NACKENOFF, HENRY C. SUTHERLAND,

Examiners.

A. C. PERHAM, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A PANEL STRIP AND JOINT COMBINATION COMPRISING AT LEAST TWO IDENTICALLY FORMED SHEET MULTI-PANEL STRIPS HAVING COMPLEMENTARY COOPERATING EDGE FORMATIONS AT OPPOSITE SIDE EDGES OF ECH STRIP FOR JOINING THE EDGES OF EACH PAIR OF ADJACENT STRIPS TOGETHER IN A DOUBLE SEALED INTERLOCKING JOINT, EACH STRIP HAVING A PLURALITY OF CLOSELY SPACED PANELS EXTENDING IN A COMMON PLANE AND WIDE-BOTTOMED GROOVES FORMED IN THE STRIP EXTENDING BACK OF SAID PANELS, EACH GROOVE HAVING SIDE WALLS EXTENDING BACK FROM ADJACENT PANELS AND BEING CONNECTED BY A WIDE BOTTOM WLAL SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID PANELS, THE EDGE FORMATION AT ONE SIDE EDGE OF EACH PANEL STRIP BEING A SUBSTANTIALLY TRIANGULARLY FORMED GROOVE COMPRISING INNER AND OUTER WALLS CONNECTED BY A BOTTOM WALL AND EXTENDING BACK OF SAID PANELS FROM THE OUTER EDGE OF THE PANEL AT SAID SIDE EDGE OF THE STRIP WITH THE TOP OF SAID INNER WALL CONNECTED TO THE OUTER PANEL EDGE AT SAID SIDE EDGE, SAID BOTTOM WALL OF THE GROOVE FORMING THE BASE OF THE TRIANGLE AND BEING EXTENDED BEYOND THE BOTTOMS OF SAID INNER AND OUTER WALLS TO FORM LOBES, WITH RETURN PORTIONS OF SAID LOBES EXTENDING IN SPACED RELATIOIN SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID BOTTOM WALL MEETING AND ENGAGING THE BOTTOMS OF SAID INNER AND OUTER SIDE WALLS RESPECTIVELY OF SAID TRIANGLE, SAID SIDE WALLS CONVERGING TOWARDS SAID PANEL TO DEFINE AN OPEN APEX IN THE PLANE OF SAID PANELS, THE TERMINAL END OF SAID OUTER WALL HAVING A LEDGE TURNED OUTWARDLY SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE PLANE OF SAID PANELS, THE BOTTOM WALL OF SAID TRIANGULARLY FORMED GROOVE AT SAID ONE SIDE EDGE OF THE STRIP BEING IN THE SAME PLANE AS THE SAID WIDE BOTTOM WALLS OF THE GROOVES BETWEEN PANELS, THE EDGE FORMATION AT THE OTHER SIDE EDGE OF EACH PANEL STRIP BEING AN ANGULARLY EXTENDING TONGUE HAVING A BASE END AT THE PANEL AND AN OUTER END WITH A REVERSELY TURNED LIP AT SAID OUTER END, SAID ANGULAR TONGUE OF ONE OF SAID TWO STRIPS BEING SEATED WITHIN SAID TRIANGULARLY FORMED GROOVE OF THE SECOND OF SAID TWO STRIPS PROVIDING SAID DOUBLE SEALED INTERLOCKING JOINT WITH A DOUBLE LINE RESILIENT PRESSURE SEALING CONTACT THEREIN, ONE OF SAID LINE CONTACTS BEING ALONG THE EDGE OF SAID REVERSELY TURNED LIP RESILIENTLY PRESSED AGAINST THE INSIDE OF ONE SAID LOBE RETURN PORTIONS AT ITS POINT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH THE BOTTOM OF SAID INNER SIDE WALL OF SAID TRIANGULARLY FORMED GROOVE, THE OTHER LINE CONTACT BEING ALONG THE OUTER EDGE OF SAID OUTWARDLY TURNED LEDGE AT THE TOP OF SAID OUTER SIDE WALL OF SAID TRIANGULARLY FORMED GROOVE RESILIENTLY PRESSED AGAINST THE INSIDE OF THE PANEL WITH THE TONGUE EDGE FORMATION, NEAR THE BASE END OF THE TONGUE. 